I introduce to you Nathan from Black Cottage Handmade on Etsy. He is from San Clemente, California. When I asked him if I could feature his art on my Artsy Tuesdays, I also asked him to do a little write up about himself and what inspires his art.
Nathan wrote:
"Thank you so much for sharing my art on your blog! I'm extremely flattered that you feel your readers will enjoy looking at my prints and learning a bit more about me and my work. My name is Nathan, and I'm the hands and eyes behind "Black Cottage Handmade," and my wife Alexis (my much better half) often offers up her keen insight, because face it, she has much better taste than I do."
"I spent most of my childhood in a small secluded mountain town nestled in southern California's San Jacinto Mountains. This is where I found my love for nature and animals, and spent most of my childhood climbing trees and catching lizards. This is also where at an early age I started making art. My aunt is an amazingly talented children's book author and illustrator, and when she would come and visit my mother and me, we would spend hours dreaming up new and silly creatures. I remember telling her my thoughts and ideas and then she'd magically put them down on paper for me. We created some amazing and strange books that I still have to this day."
"When I entered college I had the pressure to be practical, So I studied Graphic Design and even got a degree in it. I still do Freelance design to this day, but in my early 20's I was tired of sitting behind a computer screen all day, and got a big itch to follow my heart and started painting like a mad man. This was when I began to take my love for art much more seriously and decided to go to art school. Art school is an amazingly beautiful and bizarre bubble, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But when that bubble burst after graduation, life often has new plans. Marriage, new baby and home became my new priority, and art making was pushed to the background. I became a stay at home daddy, and to be totally honest, playing with my little boy became much more fun than art anyways. So, needless to say, I didn't paint for a long time."
"About a year ago my family and I moved into a new place. With a new home, comes a fresh start, and so many bare walls! I wanted to make something beautiful for my son's room. This is when I started making art again, and it was so refreshing to be making it solely for my son. I began to think of colors and animals only he'd love, and I made them out of vibrant watercolors and simple shapes. Space was limited, so I had to work small. Our kitchen table became my new art studio. This was the birth of "Black Cottage Handmade". Everything I was making was for my son, and the reward was his smile. And now I'm personally excited to share my prints with other families, hoping they'll enjoy them as much as we do!"
Wow, what an incredible story. I love that he was inspired to get back into art by his son. His art could be displayed in a nursery or even throughout a home. I think it is just as much for adults as it is for children. His use of colors are beautiful. Well enough about what I think, I'll let you all take a peek at his art and tell me which ones are your favorite!
Amazing, right? I love the vibrant colors and watercolor scheme. My favorites {notice plural not singular} are of course ALL of the owls since I am obsessed with owls and the dove and whale prints. Absolutely beautiful. Please go check out his Etsy store, you will not be disappointed, I promise.
* Message to readers: Out of respect for the artist and their copyrighting, please do not, in any way, copy, use or reproduce any of these pictures without consent from the artist. Thank you. *
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